


Falling for Angry Men

by Eledhwen



Category: Daredevil (TV), The Punisher (TV 2017)
Genre: Episode Tag, F/M, Mostly conversation, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-25
Updated: 2019-01-25
Packaged: 2019-10-16 02:51:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 908
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17541266
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eledhwen/pseuds/Eledhwen
Summary: An episode tag for The Punisher S02 E11, 'The Abyss', attempting to look at the complexities of Karen's relationships with Frank and with Matt, two men who are really more similar than they are different.





	Falling for Angry Men

**Author's Note:**

> Mild spoilers for The Punisher season 2.
> 
> I can't decide how I feel about the way they dealt with the Frank/Karen relationship in both series of TP, to be honest. It's a tricky one. She undeniably feels something for him, but is it love?

She stops at the first shoe shop she can find, and buys the cheapest pair of ballet pumps they have, putting them straight on grimy, tired feet. On the short subway ride to the office she checks the _Bulletin_ ’s breaking news pages, but there’s nothing about Frank’s hospital breakout yet.

Foggy is out all day taking a deposition, but Matt is in. He’s typing as she pushes open the door to the office, but the tap-tap of keys stops as soon as she’s in and he’s out of his room and greeting her.

“I was worried,” he says, simply, and gives her the Matt equivalent of a once-over. “What happened? You changed your shoes.”

Karen doesn’t say anything, instead crossing into her own room and putting her bag down on her desk. Matt follows her, standing in the doorway with one hand resting on the frame. “Karen?”

“I went to see Frank,” she explains, and his posture tenses, becomes wary. “In hospital. And don’t pretend you didn’t know he was there, you keep tabs on him too.”

He acknowledges this with an incline of his head. “It was dangerous,” he says.

“And you’re one to talk about that,” she throws back at him, and regrets it straight away. “God. Sorry. I didn’t mean …”

Matt holds up both his hands.

“Karen. I’m just worried about you. Not that Frank would harm you, because I know he wouldn’t, but bad shit seems to happen around him.”

She sniffs.

“Yeah, you’re not wrong.”

“So tell me about it?” Matt asks, crossing the room and pulling up the chair opposite her desk.

“He didn’t do what they arrested him for,” Karen says. “He’s out.”

Matt takes off his glasses, rubs his forehead, puts the glasses back on again, and leans forward with his elbows on his knees. “Karen …”

“No, Matt,” she cuts in, “you don’t have the right to lecture me on this. He’s innocent.”

“He’s a killer.”

“His best friend set him up as a murderer,” Karen says, “and is still out there. Frank is the _only_ guy who can stop him.” Matt looks like he’s about to say something, and she continues quickly. “You are not going to try. We’re talking trained Marines, guns, and severe mental trauma. Stay away from it, Matt.”

Matt sits back in his chair. “All right. I won’t get involved.”

She’s pretty sure he’s being truthful, and breathes a sigh. It seems easier to talk on her feet, so she gets up to walk around the room in her new pumps. “Thank you. You know, he asked me if you knew I was visiting him?”

He waits, without responding, his attention fully focused on her. Karen has long got past finding this disconcerting, but just now she wishes Matt was less perceptive. “He told me … he told me not to throw anything away on him. Thinks I’d be better off …” she tails off, finding she cannot actually say it.

“Karen, I …” Matt stands too. “You don’t owe me anything. You don’t owe Frank anything. We both owe you. And yeah, once I hoped that perhaps there was something between us, but I blew that.”

Even now, in the tentative world of the new firm, it is rare Matt is this honest. She stops pacing and turns to face him.

“I want you to be happy, and safe,” he continues, “because I need you, and Foggy, in my life. I realise that now. I know you don’t need looking after, but I am going to worry if you get into … anything … with Frank Castle, because his life’s as messed up as mine is.”

Karen has to admit he’s right, and says so. “And it’s sweet you care,” she adds. “Frank thinks you’re ‘good’.”

Matt laughs, shortly and hollowly. “You didn’t catch him up on most of last year, then, did you?”

“Didn’t have that long to talk.” Karen looks up, in time to see Matt smile properly, and comes around the desk to touch his hand. “Matt, I’m not going to lie to you, and not just because it’s impossible to. I have feelings for Frank, but I don’t know what they are. I believe he’s a good man. I’d love for him to be able to stop what he does, but I don’t know if he can.”

She turns his hand and entwines her fingers in his. “And I could say all of that about you, too.”

Matt squeezes her hand, and lets go. “Yeah,” he agrees. “You could.”

He heads towards her door, and pauses again. Without turning, he says, “thanks for telling me. That you went to see him. Means … it means a lot.”

Closing the door, he leaves her alone. Karen pulls out her chair and sits down at her desk, drawing a pile of files towards her and opening the top one. Her heart feels a little lighter, although she knows until she hears from Frank, or from Madani, that he is safe and Billy Russo is dead she will not be able to truly relax. It seems to be her fate to fall for hurt and angry men.

Karen looks down at the file in front of her, which is for a case on behalf of a young man with learning difficulties accused of robbery. She picks up a pen, and starts to read. Her angry men can look after themselves; there are others who need her help too.


End file.
